Interview with Michael Degen, Executive Director Messe Düsseldorf GmbH.
ProWein is a leading event for wineries to showcase their wines in front of trade visitors from around the world. In 2014 alone, the event hosted over 4800 exhibitors from Europe, Asia, Australia, the Americas, and Africa as well as 48,000 trade professionals from 47 countries and across the industry. International media house representatives, importers from around the world, buyers representing large and small distributors and retail stores, informative seminars, market innovations – the list of reasons to showcase at ProWein is impressive.
Communication and networking at important industry events has become one of the biggest generators of selling leads and brand recognition in the wine industry. As one of the largest platforms available to wine companies, the exposure ProWein offers is something that every winery considers when planning their next year’s attendance at events and competitions.
Exhibitors are listed in 7 different categories: wine; spirits; mineral water; accessories for marketing in retail shops and gastronomy; IT for retail and gastronomy; trade literature; and services. Since their introductions as categories at the fair, each section has seen considerable growth, year after year. In twenty years, ProWein’s exhibitors have grown in population to more than 15X its original exhibitor count (from 6X as many countries) and boasts 30X as many visitors compared to that of the inaugural ProWein event, ‘PRO VINS 94.’
Why showcase at ProWein?
As ProWein grew, so did the trade dedicated to supporting the event and building up its reputation. In 2013, ProWein‘s tenth birthday, leading German magazine Top Hotel published, “Child Prodigy ProWein: celebrating but its 10th birthday but already growing – a bit like a child prodigy,“ a headline that found a wide audience and helped grow recognition for the event, but why does Prowein receive rave reviews from the media time after time?
Whether it’s because ProWein creates the market or not, leading trends are highlighted at the event and attending industry professionals are first to get an inside look at what is gaining momentum in the industry. In 2008, Organic Wines gained signifigant international market share, and it’s no surprise it was one of the leading categories at ProWein. 1997 saw Michael Mondavi showcase Mondavi’s line-up of wines to attendees excited about the future of California. It’s just one of those impossible-to-ignore events that keeps the trade up to date on the big and the small
From pairing programs and the FIZZZ lounge, the cocktail lounge introduced in 1997 that highlighted trending new cocktails, to leading professionals presenting at informative seminars, ProWein always has supportive programs to give visitors the best chance at finding value beyond just networking at their events.
Quoting from their first Press Release (New Trade Fair in the Dusseldorf Line-Up: Pro Vins 94 – International Trade Fair for Wine and Spirits), “At PRO VINS 94 trade visitors will have the opportunity to make direct contact with joint exhibitors from the different wine regions of Europe [...],” it is evident that the fair had its priority set to become an impossible to ignore trade event from the very beginning.
Below is our interview with Michael on creating ProWein twenty years ago and how it’s developed into the event we know today.
BTN: ProWein has evolved significantly since the inaugural event in 1994, which included 321 exhibitors and even a different name (Pro Vins 1994). In 1997, only four years later, ProWein grew to over 1000 exhibitors and had taken on the official name "ProWein". What made such rapid expansion of the event possible and what were some of the hurdles that event coordinators had to overcome in order to keep the event successful?
Messe: The success of ProWein is the result of many factors. One of the most important aspects is consistently positioning it as a specialist show for the trade. This is something that we focused on from the very beginning. At ProWein the experts are amongst themselves to guarantee a professional working climate. To be specific: ProWein brings together suppliers of wines and spirits from 50 nations (global market leaders as well as specialist producers) with decision-makers from retail and wholesale and the restaurant and hotel sectors of 110 countries. Another decisive fact is that from the start, ProWein was not a German show and the diversity of its exhibitors is unique worldwide. Although German wine is very well represented, the majority of the exhibitors always came from outside of Germany. All wine producing regions and nations that are active in the international wine market participate at ProWein each year. Today, Germans only account for less than 20% of all exhibitors at ProWein - overall, 82% of the 5,000 exhibitors in nine exhibition halls are not from Germany. We always try and underscore ProWein as a truly international platform.
With regards to overcoming hurdles and developing the show: we have the luxury of a great fairground with ideal infrastructure and modern technology and we know that it is important to keep an eye on the things that are specific to the industry. One of the best examples is coordinating the glass service provided for the exhibitors, which is an enormously complex task.
BTN: 20 years later, the modern ProWein event is internationally renowned as a premiere platform to exhibit wines on the world stage. What do you believe were some of the key features that made ProWein into the event we know of today?
Messe: ProWein became the globally leading trade show for the sector because of the above mentioned reasons. ProWein is the most important meeting place and the central ordering platform for the international wine industry. At the same time, ProWein is a platform for trends and innovations. Both the exhibitors’ product ranges and the diverse supporting program – consisting of special tasting areas and more than 300 events and seminars taking place directly on the fairgrounds – address current issues and present the latest developments in the sector.
BTN: What were some of the biggest highlights of ProWein over the past 20 years?
Messe: To me it is always a highlight to see something developing and therefore each ProWein edition is in some ways a highlight. It is inspiring that ProWein is the event where newcomers on the international wine market present themselves to the sector for the first time. Why? Simply because they can find the right contacts at ProWein to develop their business internationally. We saw the premiere of wines from Tunisia, Japan, England, Lebanon and China in the past years – to name just a few. ProWein 2015 will continue this trend: Wines from Bolivia will make their debut at the show. About 10 Bolivian wineries will be represented at the group stand of the Association Wines of Bolivia in hall 9.
BTN: What are some of the best strategies that were used to bolster demand and get wineries excited about exhibiting at ProWein?
Messe: Everyone is excited about ProWein because there is no better marketplace where supply and demand get together with such a high value and benefit for the industry.
BTN: How important was it to team up with the right media partners in terms of growing recognition for ProWein?
Messe: The media of course plays an important role in any industry. We do not have specific media partners for ProWein but work closely with the international trade publications who recognize the value of ProWein and support us editorially thus spreading the word about our event to their readers.
BTN: What are your top 5 tips to wine event coordinators about creating a successful event primed to grow year after year?
Messe: There is no “5 point master plan” other than the one major advice: Listen to your customers and learn, so that you create the platform they need with the features they want - often before they even know that they want it!